1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a disc tray used at a time of taking a disc corresponding to a recording medium such as a magnetic disc, an optical disc and the like in and out a drive.
2. Related Art
There are descriptions about the disc tray in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. Hei8-235713, Hei10-27407 and Hei11-39762 and the like. In accordance with the publications, there is described a matter that disc holders serving for preventing a disc set in a disc set portion of a disc tray from falling away from the disc set portion are provided at a plurality of portions of the disc tray attached to the drive. It is necessary to prevent the disc from falling away in the disc holder mentioned above, mainly in the case of using the disc tray in a stand-up attitude, in other words, the case that the disc tray is equipped in the drive in a vertical attitude.
As mentioned above, in the disc tray equipped in the vertical attitude drive, it is necessary to hold the disc by the disc holder so as to prevent the disc from falling away the disc set portion, however, in the disc tray equipped in the horizontal attitude drive, it is not always necessary to hole the disc by the disc holder.
In this case, in the conventional disc tray, there are a structure in which hook-shaped disc holders are swingably provided at a plurality of portions around the disc set portion (the former) and a structure in which a disc holder is provided around the disc set portion so as to freely deform between a position capable of holding the disc and a position outside the position by using a resin elasticity (the latter).
[Problems to be Solved]
However, in the former, it is necessary to set the disc in the disc set portion and thereafter independently rotate the disc holders provided at a plurality of portions around the disc set portion one by one by fingers so as to move to the position capable of holding the disc. Accordingly, in the vertically placed drive structured such that the disc tray in the stand-up attitude is taken in and out, it is necessary to execute a troublesome operation of holding the disc by one hand at a time of attaching and detaching the disc to and from the disc tray and independently moving the disc holders at a plurality of portions one by one by another hand so as to hold the disc.
Further, in the latter, since it is necessary to execute an operation of pressing the disc to the disc set portion while elastically displacing the disc holders at a plurality of portions by the disc so as to expand the disc holders, there is a risk that the disc is damaged.
The present invention is made by taking the conditions mentioned above into consideration, and an object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which simultaneously operates disc holders at a plurality of portions in the same manner only by operating one operation knob at a time of attaching and detaching a disc.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which can set and take out a disc only by operating an operation knob only at an initial stage at a time of setting the disc to a disc set portion or at a time of taking out the disc from the disc set portion.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray that can set a disc to a disc set portion or taking out from the disc set portion by using only one hand.
Further, the other object of the present invention is to provide a disc tray which can evacuate a disc holder to a position not standing in the way of taking a disc in and out in the case of using a drive in a horizontal attitude in which it is unnecessary to hold the disc by the disc holder.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a disc tray having a tray main body to which disc holders are mounted at a plurality of portions in the periphery of a disc set portion so as to be capable of moving in and out between a closed position preventing a disc set in the disc set portion from falling down and an open position making it possible to take the disc in and out the disc set portion, provided with a movable body simultaneously moving each of the disc holders in and out between the closed position and the open position through a push pull operation, and an operation knob for pushing and pulling the movable body.
In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to employ the structure in which the respective disc holders swing so as to move in and out between the closed position and the open position, swing center portions of the respective disc holders and swing members corresponding to the respective disc holders are respectively connected to each other via respective rotary shafts rotatably extending through and inserted to a plurality of portions of the tray main body, and the movable body has a function of simultaneously moving the respective disc holders between the closed position and the open position via the respective rotary shafts by forward and backward swinging the respective swing members through the push pull operation, and in this case, it is possible to employ the structure in which the swing member are gears, and rack portions engaged with the gears forming the respective swing members are provided in the movable body.
In accordance with this invention, in the case that the structure is made, for example, such that the disc holder becomes at the closed position from the open position at a time of operating the operation knob so as to press the movable body and the disc holder becomes inversely at the open position from the closed position at a time of operating the operation knob so as to take in the movable body, all of the disc holders are simultaneously at the closed position only by setting the disc in the disc set portion and pressing the movable body by the operation knob, whereby the disc is held in the disc set portion so as not to fall away, and all the disc holders simultaneously move backward to the closed position only by taking in the movable body by the operation knob, whereby the disc holder does not stand in the way at a time of taking out the disc.
In accordance with the present invention, the member for interlocking the push pull operation of the movable body with the operation of moving in and out the disc holder can suitably employ various kinds of mechanisms such as a structure utilizing a broken type link corresponding to a swing member and the like in addition to a combination between the gear and the rack portion corresponding to the swing member mentioned above.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that the disc holders are arranged in a front side of the tray main body in which the disc set portion is formed in a front side, the swing members and the movable body are arranged in a back side of the tray main body, and the operation knob is connected to the movable body so as to be exposed to a front side of the tray main body from an opening portion provided in the tray main body. In accordance with this structure, there is an advantage that it is possible to operate the operation knob by one thumb holding the disc or the like.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that the respective disc holders are always elastically urged in a direction of returning to the closed position, and the respective disc holders are swung toward the open position from the closed position against the elastically urging force through the operation of the operation knob. In accordance with this structure, since it is sufficient to operate the operation knob by the fingers only at a time of setting the disc in the disc set portion or at a time of taking out the disc from the disc set portion, and the operation of returning the operation knob to the original position so as to return the disc holder to the closed position is automatically executed by an elastic force urging the disc holder, an operability of the operation knob at a time of setting the disc and at a time of taking out the disc is improved.
In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to employ the structure such that the respective disc holder execute an oscillating linear motion in a direction crossing the push pull direction of the movable body so as to move in and out between the closed position and the open position, the respective disc holders are always elastically urged toward the closed position side, sliding portions are provided in the respective disc holders, and the movable body is provided with an inclined working surface which executes a pressing operation and a moving-apart operation with respect to the sliding portion through the push pull operation so as to move the disc holders in and out through a displacement of the sliding portion. In this case, it is desirable that the disc holders are arranged in a front side of the tray main body in which a disc set portion is formed in a front side, a leg piece portion connected to the disc holders is inserted to an opening formed in the tray main body, the sliding portion and the movable body formed in the leg piece portion are arranged in a back side of the tray main body, and the operation knob is connected to the movable body so as to be exposed to the front side of the tray main body from an opening portion provided in the tray main body.
In accordance with this invention, it is possible to hold the disc set in the disc set portion by the disc holder so as not to fall away by pushing and pulling the movable body by means of the operation knob and prevent the disc holder from standing in the way of taking out the disc set in the disc set portion. Further, since it is sufficient to operate the operation knob by the fingers only at a time of setting the disc to the disc set portion and at a time of taking out the disc from the disc set portion, and the operation of returning the operation knob to the original position so as to set to the closed position can be automatically executed by the elastic force always urging the disc holder, an operability of the operation knob at a time of setting and taking out the disc can be improved. Further, in the structure in which the operation knob is exposed to the front side of the tray main body from the opening portion of the tray main body, there is an advantage that the operation knob can be operated by one thumb holding the disc.
Further, in accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that an elastic piece portion is formed by a protruding piece portion protruded out to a back side of the tray main body from an opening edge of the opening, the leg piece portion, and a curved portion connecting end portions of the protruding piece portion and the leg piece portion to each other, and the elastic piece portion, the disc holders and the tray main body are integrally formed by a synthetic resin.
In accordance with the structure mentioned above, since it is possible to form the elastic piece portion in a U shape and increase a total length thereof, it is possible to widely secure an amount of moving in and out the disc holder due to the elastic deformation of the protruding piece portion, the leg piece portion and the like which form the elastic piece portion. Accordingly, it is possible to increase a gap between the closed position and the open position in the disc holder so as to increase a stability of the operation of moving in and out the disc holder. Further, since the elastic piece portion, the disc holder and the tray main body are integrally formed by the synthetic resin, it is possible to restrict an increase of the number of the parts, whereby it is easy to achieve a cost reduction at that degree.
It is desirable that the movable body always elastically urges a working surface thereof in a returning direction for moving the working surface apart from the sliding portion. In accordance with this structure, since it is sufficient to operate the operation knob by the fingers only at a time of setting the disc to the disc set portion and at a time of taking out the disc from the disc set portion, and the operation of returning the operation knob to the original position so as to set to the closed position can be automatically executed by the elastic force always urging the disc holder toward the closed position side, an operability of the operation knob at a time of setting and taking out the disc can be improved.
In this case, the subject to be required to prevent the disc set to the disc set portion from falling away by means of the disc holder is mainly the disc tray equipped in the drive in the vertical attitude, however, there is a case that the drive is used in the horizontal attitude, and in such a case, it is desirable that the structure is made such that the disc holder is held at the open position and the disc is taken in and out the disc set portion without operating the operation knob.
In order to make the disc tray in accordance with the present invention correspond to this requirement, it is desirable that a holding member for holding the disc holders at the open position is provided. For example, it is possible to correspond to the requirement mentioned above by employing the structure such that the member includes a spacer detachably interposed between the operation knob and the opening edge portion of the opening portion exposing the operation knob to the front side of the tray main body, and the spacer is connected to any one of the operation knob and the tray main body.